Billionaire's Gift

On July 14th, Chinese Valentine's Day

Set against the background of the night sky, the street lamps and neon signs all blended into a blur, lighting up the whole city.

It was drizzling. A thin woman in a white dress walked swiftly on the quiet street, carrying an umbrella over her head.

A faint smile flashed across Mandy Zhou's face. She looked at the cake in her right hand and smiled in relief.

Today was the third anniversary of her relationship with her boyfriend, Daniel Zhao. Daniel was the first boyfriend she'd ever had, and she loved him a lot. They had always celebrated their anniversary together, but today, Daniel was too busy with work to spend time with Mandy. Undeterred by this, Mandy had spent the whole afternoon making a cake at home so that she could surprise Daniel with it.

At Elegance Residential Quarters

Mandy Zhou opened the door and flicked on the light switch. The familiar scene of Daniel's living room came into view. She gingerly set the cake down on the coffee table in an attempt to preserve her hard work until Daniel got to see it.

When Mandy thought of the fact that they had been together for three years, a happy smile appeared on her lips. She took off her slippers and turned around to sneak into Daniel's bedroom to surprise him.

Suddenly, Mandy heard a gasp, and the smile on her face disappeared; she was sure that the sound had come from a woman. Heart racing, she stood rooted to the spot and listened carefully. A second later, she heard a moan from a man.

The sounds were definitely coming from inside Daniel's bedroom. Stunned and feeling as if her feet were filled with lead, Mandy stood facing the door with her eyes wide open. Her faced turned red, then pale.

She recognized the man's voice, of course.

She shook her head, thinking maybe she had just been imagining things, but the sounds still lingered in the air. She didn't know if she should burst into the room to catch Daniel in the act.

Meanwhile, inside the room, two bodies were intertwined with each other.

"Daniel, when will you break up with her?" Celine Liu asked softly as she wrapped her arms around Daniel's neck.

"Baby, once everything goes according to plan, I'll break up with her," Daniel replied, pinching Celine's slender waist.

"Humph, I've done everything I was supposed to do, but you haven't made your decision yet. Tell me, are you still in love with her?" Celine Liu frowned, becoming jealous all of a sudden.

Most men couldn't resist the temptation of a coquettish woman, especially when they were in bed with them. Daniel didn't want to do anything to make Celine angry at this crucial moment, so he immediately coaxed her. "How is that even possible? Honey, you are the most important person in my heart. Look, I even left her to accompany you on Valentine's day. So what do you think?"

"What if she finds out what we're doing here?" Celine's alluring voice was like a sharp knife stabbing into Mandy's heart.

"What we're doing here? So what if she finds out? I've wanted to get rid of that woman for a long time. She always acts so pure and aloof. I have no interest in her. Who can stand that kind of woman?" Daniel snorted.

Obviously, Daniel's tone was full of unhappiness. Hearing his words, Mandy finally realized the kind of person he really was. The fury burning in her heart seemed to be extinguished in an instant.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then, she quickly turned the doorknob without any hesitation.

With a click, the door opened, revealing the sight of Celine riding her boyfriend.

As soon as Daniel and Celine heard the door open, they abruptly stopped what they were doing.

Daniel was petrified the moment he saw Mandy. All the excitement he had been feeling dissipated into thin air.

Celine calmly got off Daniel and looked defiantly into Mandy's eyes as if she was Daniel's real girlfriend.

"Daniel Zhao, I think you owe me an explanation!"

Mandy said, gritting her teeth and trying her best to hold back her tears. In the three years they had been together, she had never thought that there was a problem between them, not even when they had been separated from each other for a year.

A long-distance relationship was the toughest test of trust between couples. However, it had never even occurred to Mandy that the person she trusted the most could betray her.

It was not until now that she realized how silly she had been.

'Mandy, you are such a fool!' she thought to herself.

"Mandy, now that you've seen everything, I have nothing to say. Before you came, Celine and I were making love, so... you can get out now."

There was no more nervousness written on Daniel's face. His face was as cold as ice now.

Mandy was too angry to say a word. She couldn't believe that Daniel was asking her to get out instead of even attempting to apologize to her. In the three years they'd been together, he had never said such cruel words to her.

"Mandy, you heard him. Get out of here now. We're not done yet."

Celine smiled coquettishly as she stretched out her smooth arms, encircling Daniel's neck.

"Celine, my father has always treated you well. How can you do this to me? When you were in a difficult position, my father was the one who sponsored your college. And after you graduated, he even arranged for you to work as an accountant in his company. But instead of being grateful to him, you seduced my boyfriend. Aren't you afraid that you'll be punished?" Mandy asked, choking back tears.

She couldn't bear seeing the two of them together.

"Ha, I see. You rich people think money can solve everything, don't you?" Celine said, rolling her eyes.

"You bitch!"

Hearing her sarcastic words, Mandy couldn't help but rush forward to slap Celine.

If it was some other woman who had slept with her boyfriend, Mandy might not have hit her. But Celine was being an ungrateful bitch.

Things happened so fast that Celine wasn't able to react. When she felt Mandy's palm strike her cheek, her eyes brimmed with tears. "Daniel, she slapped me!" she complained.

Seeing that Mandy still wanted to make a scene, Daniel slapped her.

The sound of his slap was even louder than Mandy's.

Stunned, Mandy stood still. Tears blurred her eyes, blocking her vision.

The pain she felt in her heart was worse than the pain she felt on her cheek.

Daniel jumped up from the bed, slowly straightened his back, and said coldly, "Stop it, Mandy. I asked you to get out. Didn't you hear me?"

Looking at the sad expression on Celine's face, Daniel was distressed.

"How dare you hit me!" Mandy asked resentfully, trembling with anger.

"Yes, I hit you. Get out of here, or I'll teach you a lesson." Daniel glared at her with anger.

Anyway, their plan had succeeded. He had no reason to be nice to Mandy anymore.

"You son of a bitch! I will make you pay for what you did to me!"

Mandy raised her head coldly, and her eyes were filled with disappointment.

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'm waiting."

'Stop dreaming, Mandy Zhou. From now on, we're going to play a new game. Do you still think you can get what you want just because you have a rich father?' he thought to himself.

"I hope you two are a perfect match," Mandy said coldly before storming out of the apartment in anger.

As the lights flickered, the night was extraordinarily bustling in City A.

It was Valentine's Day.

There were many couples walking on the street, some smiling and some playing.

But Mandy, who was walking home alone after catching her boyfriend cheating on her, felt very sad and lonely.

Not only was today the third anniversary of the day Mandy and Daniel had started dating, but it was also the anniversary of the day Mandy had lost someone dear to her.

Four years ago, her best friend had died in a car accident.

Suddenly, Mandy hated this day very much. She felt like it was cursed.

A gust of wind blew, and Mandy shivered involuntarily.

She was wearing nothing but an off-shoulder embroidered dress. But right now, she didn't want to go home or talk to anyone. She just wanted to be alone.

The truth was, she wasn't sad at all about Daniel's betrayal.

She was just a little disappointed and unwilling to accept the fact that Daniel had been cheating on her behind her back.

She didn't understand why he had done it. And more importantly, she didn't know how long his affair with Celine had been going on.

A few years ago, Mandy and Daniel had studied together abroad. Back then, Daniel had been very considerate and treated her like a queen. After graduation, Daniel had returned to the country, while Mandy had continued to study in England and returned a year later.

Maybe there was something wrong with their relationship because of long distance.

After all, men couldn't resist sexual temptation.

Mandy blinked. Her eyes were so dry that she wanted to cry.

Without meaning to, she had walked right up to the street of the most popular bars in the city.

Looking at the bright neon lights, Mandy shook her head with a helpless smile on her face.

Then, she walked into the nearest bar, Queen Bar. The music inside was deafening, as if it could make everyone inside forget all their troubles and have fun. Plenty of attractive young men and women were dancing to the loud music.

All of a sudden, the music stopped playing. Everyone on the dance floor shuffled to a stop and looked expectantly at the DJ.

"Okay, let's find the luckiest lady tonight. Camera, please sweep the floor. Three, two, one. Let's look at the screen!" the host announced in a high-pitched voice.

On the big screen behind the DJ, a close-up image of Mandy's face appeared.

Mandy was shocked. She had never expected something like this to happen.

Without doing anything, she had been thrust into the spotlight.

All eyes were on her. Mandy felt her face burning in embarrassment.

The crowd spontaneously parted for her, reminiscent of the way a crowd would part to make a path for a princess in fairy tales.

"We've found her, the luckiest lady tonight. With a round of applause, let's invite her onto the stage to sing a song for us!"

The host had added fuel to the fire.

Mandy rubbed her dress awkwardly.

What was happening?

'This is the first time I've come to a bar. What a coincidence! And sing a song? Did I even agree?'

"Go ahead."

"Yeah, what are you doing? Hurry up!"

The people standing around her suddenly became eager.

Mandy had no choice but to walk to the stage with her eyes lowered.

She came to a stop in front of the host. Seeing the confusion on her face, the host immediately knew that she was a newcomer, so he explained the game rules to her.

The woman who was selected would get unlimited free drinks tonight, but only after she sang a song for the audience.

Mandy was a little shy and she didn't like to sing in public. However, she noticed a black three legged piano in front of the stage. Holding the microphone, she came up with a brilliant idea.

"I'm not good at singing. Can I play a song for you instead?"

The crowd exchanged surprised glances and then nodded eagerly.

Hearing their positive response, the host also agreed.

Feeling a little relieved, Mandy walked to the piano gracefully.

She had started taking piano lessons when she was three years old and reached the professional level when she was in third grade. Her parents had always wanted to train her to be a professional pianist. However, because of an unexpected accident that had happened four years ago, she had never played the piano again. But every note and every key was deeply rooted in her mind.

She gently pressed down on the keys with her slender fingers and played a pleasant prelude that sounded like the cautious mood of a girl falling in love. The audience was intoxicated by the music.

The truth was, Mandy had thought that she could no longer play the piano. She had never wanted to touch the piano again. However, she didn't mind making an exception for the song she was playing now, Star. It was a song that she had composed on her own when she was fifteen years old. It was a gift for her best friend.

On the left side of the bar, a man dressed in a handmade Italian suit stared closely at Mandy. There was nothing but coldness on his exceptionally handsome face, but in his long and narrow eyes, there seemed to be a hidden secret.

'How could anyone possibly play this song?!' the man wondered.

Suddenly, he waved his hand at the bar manager and beckoned him. The manager immediately ran over and stood in front of the man in an obedient manner.

"Send her to my room. Preferably unconscious." The man pursed his thin lips lightly after speaking, and there was no emotion on his cold face.

Mandy was like a prey that he had been hunting for a long time.

"Yes, sir." The bar manager nodded immediately. He had gotten used to such requests.

When the melody came to an end, a burst of rapturous applause broke out, and everyone in the audience praised Mandy.

Mandy smiled and took a bow before stepping off the stage and finding a quiet spot to drink.

It had been four years since she had last played the piano, so she hadn't expected that she could still play it so well without playing even one wrong note.

However, she knew that her playing skills were not as good as before. This piece of composition held a special meaning for her. She would give it to that person on this special day.

After drinking a few glasses of wine, Mandy started to feel dizzy. Her mind was in a mess, and soon, her vision blurred before she passed out completely.

A long while later, Mandy suddenly woke up. She felt cold all over her body, and realized that she was submerged in a bathtub.

Looking around with fear, she jumped out of the cold water in a hurry. When she walked out of the bathroom, she saw a strong man sitting on the bed in nothing but a bathrobe.

He was wearing a masquerade mask on his face. His hair was still wet, and drops of water were dripping down to his inviting collarbones. The man in the mask instantly put down his glass of red wine and looked at Mandy with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

After just one glance from that man, Mandy felt numb all over. She bit her lips, wondering what was going on right now. The man was looking at her with an expression that was unsettling enough to frighten people thousands of miles away.

Suddenly, Mandy felt a little hot. Her fine face instantly flushed like a cooked lobster.

Without saying a word, the man in the mask looked at Mandy with a cold smile on his face.

He was confident that he could win her over. And tonight, he wanted to play with her until he was utterly satisfied.

On the other hand, Mandy was unsettled by the strange atmosphere in the room.

As she gently licked her dry lips, a seductive chirp left her mouth. The sound jerked her back to reality.

"I... I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm here. I'm leaving right now."

Although they weren't in close proximity to each other, Mandy felt like she could feel the hot breath coming from the man sitting on the bed.

She didn't dare to linger there even a moment longer. She just wanted to leave as soon as possible. Moreover, the heat she was feeling made her feel more and more uncomfortable.

Feeling dizzy, she unconsciously pulled at her bathrobe as she tried to find an exit. But she had barely taken a few steps when a pair of strong arms gripped her from behind.

Mandy's face turned pale in shock.

The man in the mask tightly clung to her body, making her feel an unprecedented fear.

Smelling the light fragrance on Mandy's body, the man could hardly help himself.

Mandy pushed him away with her elbows, but as soon as she took a step, she fell on the floor. Mandy was on the verge of breaking down.

She wasn't very sober, but she had the vague realization that she had been drugged!

'No way! Absolutely not!'

For 22 years, Mandy had kept her virginity.

Although she and Daniel had been in a relationship for three years, they had never crossed the boundary.

"Sorry, please let me go. I can give you as much money as you want," she said, slurring her words.

She was lying on the ground powerlessly with her head lowered, not daring to look at the man.

At this moment, she didn't even have the strength to stand up. And in her mind, she knew exactly what this man was going to do to her.

The man's arrogant lips suddenly curled up into a sneer.

'Money? She wants to talk about money with me! I guess everyone from the Zhou Family is the same. Just because they're rich, they think that money can help them in any situation, even in a moment of life or death.'

The man's anger was like a fire that was immediately ignited by Mandy's words. His deep eyes were filled with hatred.

He pulled Mandy up from the floor and flung her onto the bed. Then came the man's gentle kiss. Mandy struggled, but feeling her writhing body under him only drove the man crazier. He tightly locked her in his arms and kissed her harder.

She didn't know when it happened, but sometime during the night, Mandy started to cooperate with him.

As a virgin, she seemed to be obsessed with him. Every time he played with her, she responded with twice as much intensity. He felt like he was integrating her into his body.

It was a night of intense fire and romance.

When Mandy finally woke up the next morning, she felt a splitting headache. Her whole body hurt all over, as if it had been crushed by a car.

Strange room, masked man...

Bit by bit, Mandy recalled what had happened last night.

She threw off the quilt in horror and widened her eyes. On the white sheet, there was a bloodstain.

Mandy's heart trembled slightly and tears welled up in her eyes. The sadness she felt in her heart was hard to describe; she felt like she had lost something dear to her.

On the bedside table was the exquisite mask that the man had been wearing last night. Under the mask, there was a five hundred dollar note.

'What is this? Did that man think I was a product?! Five hundred!'

Mandy couldn't believe that her first time had been worth only five hundred.

Feeling sick about everything that had happened and scared that the man would come back, she quickly put on her clothes and left the room.

Just before she left, she turned around and saw the room number: 1314. This number was like a cruel joke that deeply cut into her heart.

Catching Daniel cheating on her with Celine last night had already been a huge blow to her. But now, after waking up on a strange bed this morning, she felt like her world had collapsed.